Locate the files or folders you want to archive using Mac Finder. Select the files you want to zip, and right click on their selection. Select Compress Items. Zip file is created and save in the current working directory. If single file is zipped, a.zip extension is added to the name of the file. If multiple files are zipped, “Archive. Along with Zip files (.zip and.zipx), WinZip 16.5 and later allows you to extract from multiple 7Z, CAB, ISO, IMG, LHA, LZH and RAR files. Earlier WinZip versions will only allow you to extract from multiple Zip files (.zip and.zipx) and multiple self-extracting archives in the Zip file format. On your Mac, do any of the following: Compress a file or folder: Control-click it or tap it using two fingers, then choose Compress from the shortcut menu. If you compress a single item, the compressed file has the name of the original item with the.zip extension. If you compress multiple items at once, the compressed file is called Archive.zip.

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The allure of zipped files is simple: they allow you to directly send and receive files, or batches of files, without encroaching on file size limits. Often, email providers have limits on how large attachments can be. Zip files make it easy to bypass that limitation without sending multiple emails.

Zipping files can also be useful for compressing files for storage on your Mac, or an external hard drive.

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How do you open a zip file on a Mac? Or what's the best way to do that? There are, of course, several methods for creating archives, such as built-in utilities, Terminal, and third-party apps. Below, we are going to explore how to unzip files on Mac, how to create zip archives, and showcase some archivers that make it really easy to zip and manage zipped files.

What is a Zip file?

A zip file is a lossless way to compress and archive files and folders. You often encounter zip files in emails, as mentioned, but also when downloading from the internet. If you've ever downloaded an app or extension directly from a developer website, chances are it was a zipped file.

It uses the '.zip' filename, and its icon is typically a folder with a zipper running up the middle. Zipping files is a time-tested method, and is largely unchanged. Its use-cases have expanded, though. We use zip files for sending large files and bundles of PDF or text files, but it's now used as a method to send large folders of images as well as for downloading applications or games from the internet.

Split Zip Into Multiple Files Mac

How to zip files on a Mac

Before we talk about some special apps and tools, we need to mention built-in macOS's utility that allows you to compress and decompress files and folders. Your Mac's simple Archive Utility, stored in the Applications > Utilities folder, is a simple, direct way to zip files. Its functionality is limited, but it's a decent option for quick zipping and unzipping of files and folders when you need to open zip files someone has sent you.

Here's how to zip a file on Mac with the Archive Utility:

1. Find the file or files you want to zip.
   Note: if you'd like to zip multiple files, it's best to put those files in the same folder. Then you can proceed to step two.
2. Right-click on the file or folder.
3. Select 'compress'

That's all it takes. Note the zipped file or folder will be created in the same location as the file or folder you zipped. You can move it manually if you like.

If you want to zip multiple files without first adding them to a folder, that's also possible with Archive Utility. Here's how:

1. Open the folder with files or folders you want to zip up
2. Select the items you want to include in the zip file and right-click on any one of the items.
3. Select 'Compress (x) Items' from the pop-up menu.

Once again, a progress bar will display. When the compression is finished, zipped items will be stored in a file called Archive.zip, which will be located in the same folder as the original items.

How to create an encrypted zip archive

Now that you know how to create a zip file on Mac, you may be wondering how to encrypt that zipped file. Archive Utility doesn't allow for this, but you can use the Terminal to accomplish this feat. Here's how:

1. Open 'Terminal' from your Applications
2. Enter the following command: cd desktop
3. Press enter on your Mac's keyboard
4. Enter the following command: zip -e [zipped filename]
   Note: Do not use brackets. If your filename were 'test.zip', you would enter: zip -e test.zip
5. Press enter
6. Terminal will ask for you to assign and verify a password.

The encrypted file will then appear on your desktop. Opening it will require a password.

We should note this method is clunky, a bit confusing for many – and dealing with Terminal is always a bit nerve-wracking. There's a much better way!

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BetterZip is an app that makes compression and encryption a breeze. In fact, you can set BetterZip up to encrypt all files by default! It uses strong AES-256 encryption, and has the same lossless compression you'll find with any zipping method.

Here's how to encrypt zip files using BetterZip:

1. Open BetterZip on your Mac.
2. From the menu bar, select 'BetterZip,' and 'Preferences'
3. From the 'Presets' menu, select the 'Save' menu
4. Select 'Clean and Zip'
5. Under 'Encryption method,' select 'Strong (AES-256)'

If you'd like to use the same password for every file you encrypt, you can enter it in the filed just below 'encryption method'. If you don't supply a password, BetterZip will prompt you for one each time you zip and encrypt a file.

BetterZip is impressive for encrypting every zip file you create. If you're looking for a simpler approach, Archiver is the app you're looking for. It uses a drag-and-drop interface, and makes encryption as easy as checking a box and assigning a password. Here's how:

1. Open Archiver on your Mac
2. Drag the file you want to zip into the app
3. Select 'encrypt' if you want to secure the file with a password
4. Enter and verify your password
5. Select 'Archive'

How to add files to an existing zip file

BetterZip is your best path forward for adding files to an already zipped file. Here's how it's done:

1. Open BetterZip on your Mac
2. Select the zipped file you want to add new files to
3. Select 'Add' from the top of the betterZip window
4. Select the file or files you'd like to add to your already zipped file
   Note: If you want to add multiple files, you can shift-click to add a list, or command-click to add them one at a time.
5. Select and hold 'Save' from the top left of the BetterZip window
6. In the menu that appears, select 'Clean and Zip'

This creates a new .zip folder with the already-zipped file, as well as the files you added, all of which are now zipped in the same folder.

Unzip files on a Mac

Unzipping files on your Mac is simple. The best method is using the built-in Archive Utility app. The process is simple, and essentially a reversal of the process for zipping a file. Here's how to unzip files:

1. Right-click the zipped folder or file you'd like to unzip
2. Select 'open with'
3. Select 'Archive Utility'

The zipped file or folder will be unzipped. If you'd like to re-zip the file, simple follow the steps we've outlined in this article to zip it again.

How to open zip files as a pro

To open zipped files and folders, both BetterZip and Archive are great options. We especially like BetterZip, here, because each zipped file or folder is previewed in the BetterZip window before you open it up. That way, you always know what you're about to open!

Here's how to unzip files using BetterZip.

1. Open BetterZip
2. Select the zipped file or folder you want to unzip
3. Select 'Extract' from the top of the BetterZip window

Your file or folder will be unzipped.

Here's the method if you choose Archive:

Split Zip Into Multiple Files Mac

1. Open Archive on your Mac
2. Select the zipped file or folder you want to unzip
3. Drag it to the Archive window
4. Select it from the menu
5. Select 'Extract' from the bottom of the Archive window

That's all it takes!

Look inside the archive without extraction

Viewing a zipped file without actually unzipping it can be important if you have many zipped files on your computer, or have zipped folders and can't remember where you stuck a particular file.

For this, we like BetterZip. It automatically offers up a preview of zipped files and folders on the right side of its screen. There's no guessing, or fussy methodology. All you have to do is select the file in BetterZip, and the preview loads immediately.

Extract a separate file from a zip archive

Again, we really like BetterZip for this. Here's how to do it:

1. Open BetterZip on your Mac
2. Select the zipped folder with the file(s) you want to extract
3. Right click the file you want to extract
4. Select 'Extract Selected' from the drop-down menu

Unzip files and folders using Terminal

If you would rather unzip files using the Terminal, here's how to do it:

1. Open Terminal on your Mac
2. Change directory to where your zipped file or folder is located using the 'cd' command. (As an example, if your zipped file were in the documents folder, you would enter 'cd documents' into Terminal – without the quotations. Keep in mind if your zipped file is buried in another folder, you will have to change directory until you reach the file's location.)
3. Enter the following command: unzip [filename]. (If your file were named zipped-stuff.zip, you would enter 'unzip zipped-stuff.zip' – again, no quotations.)

WinZip^® makes it easy to create Zip files (.zip or .zipx) that are split into smaller pieces of a size that you specify. There are several reasons why you might want to do this, such as:

• To assist with large downloads. Some users may have difficulty downloading very large Zip files from web sites, FTP sites, etc. You can use the split Zip feature to break large files into smaller pieces that can be downloaded separately.


• To overcome email size limits, as an alternative to sharing the Zip file to the cloud. Some email systems limit the size of attachments. If you want to email a large Zip file that exceeds your limit, sharing is usually the easiest solution, but, if that is not an option, you can also split the Zip file into smaller parts and email them separately.

To split an existing Zip file into smaller pieces

If you have an existing Zip file that you want to split into multiple pieces, WinZip gives you the ability to do that.

Using the WinZip Ribbon interface

1. Open the Zip file.
2. Open the Settings tab.
3. Click the Split dropdown box and select the appropriate size for each of the parts of the split Zip file. If you choose Custom Size in the Split dropdown list, the Custom Size (MB) field will become active and allow you to enter in a custom size specified in megabytes.
4. Open the Tools tab and click Multi-Part Zip File.
5. In the Split window, browse to the location where you want to create the new split Zip file.
6. Type in the file name for the new split Zip file in the File name box.
7. Click OK.
8. WinZip will create your split Zip file using the size you specified in step 3 as the maximum size for each part. The result will be one file with a .zip or .zipx extension, and additional files with numeric extensions: .z01 or .zx01, .z02 or .zx02, etc.

How To Zip Multiple Files Mac

To create a new split Zip file

You can create a new split Zip file with the WinZip submenu of the context menu.

1. Open WinZip and follow steps 2 and 3 above (unless you know the size is set as you want it already).
2. Highlight the file(s) and/or folder(s) you want to use to create a split Zip file in Windows Explorer or on the Desktop.
3. Right click in the highlighted area and choose Create a Split Zip File from the WinZip submenu of the context menu.
4. In the window that opens, change the file name and the destination if you wish, and choose other options, then click Create.

Notes

• Each of the segments of the split Zip file will have a different extension. WinZip creates files with names like Data.z01 or Data.zx01, Data.z02 or Data.zx02, and so on, except for the very last segment of the new Zip file. The last segment will always have either the .zip or .zipx extension, respectively, based on the compression method used when creating the Zip file (e.g., Data.zip, Documents.zipx).
• To open the split Zip file, open the file with the .zip or .zipx extension. Don't try to open any of the files with the numbered extensions; WinZip won't recognize them as Zip files.
• Once the split Zip file has been opened, you can work with it much as you would work with a regular Zip file, except you can't add any new files or remove existing files. Some operations such as creating self-extracting Zip files and editing comments are also disabled for split Zip files.
• The sizes listed as 1.2MB, 1.44MB, and 2.88MB are approximate. The segments of the split Zip file are sized appropriately to fit on media of the specified size. You cannot, however, use decimal points when specifying sizes in the Other size field.
• The split Zip file format is an extension of the Zip 2.0 specification. Therefore, some Zip utility programs may not be able to open split Zip files. Please see Split Zip file compatibility information for more details.